I've played too many horns to count, from entry level to a top end Schilke. The TR-300 stands up well against other student model. In particular, the valves, slide function and general quality of the horn are very good out of the box. This model is easy to generate notes on the staff, but anything above the staff requires a very focused lipping and diaphram support. The sound surprised me as bright and thin, but I'm comparing it to an Olds Amabassor I play -- make no question about it, this is no Olds Ambassador and it simply can't compare to the rich, brassy sound of the Olds. My Olds is restored, but even with that the price I paid for it is comparable to the TR-300. I've also played an older Yamaha student model and Bundy, the TR-300 is about the same quality as those instruments. As a sure bet, the Bach is a great first horn and will get a new student through Jr. High -- its easy to generate notes on with good intonation and does not require a lot of air, is affordable, will offer good resale and should blend well in a section. Its not a good solo instrument due to its thin sound and a good high school player will require a more solid, rich sounding and free blowing instrument then this.

Very nice horn, and can sound very nice between the C directly under the staff, and the G directly above. Outside of that range, or if you are trying to play "FFF", you almost have to fight the horn to do what you want. Beginning students rarely, if ever, have to play outside of that range, and this horn worked from 5th to 8th grade for me.

It's been a good horn for me, until I started high school, and began playing in the school jazz band. On one particular song, entitled "Wheels", about 2/3 of my notes were above the staff, and I had some problems with my horn with that. Also, some of the "FF" in other songs we play would cause me to blare, because the horn just couldn't take the amount of air I was shoving down it. Switching from the Bach 7C mouthpiece that was proviced to a Schilke 14 helped cut down this blaring issue, but ultimately I have decided that I need a new horn, and am still in the process of finding one.

For a beginning student, or someone who is playing 2nd or 3rd trumpet parts in a high school concert band or orchestra, this horn will do everything you need, for a very affordable cost. But if you are the lead trumpet player, or even the 2nd for a reasonably good jazz band, you should probably look somewhere else.

Great little horn for students. I got this in 5th grade and I am using it still in 9th (I am getting a pro horn soon). It has suited me in Jazz Band, Marching Band and Classical. It is a horn that can stand a beating (I have 4 medium sized dents that dont really affect my sound). the 2nd Valve slide is hard to get off and clean and the valves clog up on occasion.

Incredible sound.
Better than my Getzen Eterna. Even better than my Kanstul 1504.
But very hard in the upper register. Mechanic is ok, nothing more. Lacquer quality is simply poor.
I love this instrument for commercial music solo's.
MPC Schilke or Bach seemed to be made to fit this instrument.
This is the best trumpet around in this price range.

I played for 12 years, stopped for 5, started again 4 months ago. I played on an intermediate-pro Besson 709 (silver) when I stopped playing.

I got the TR300 from a friend of mine because I recalled playing it in high school and the horn having a soft, rich sound. All the pro silver models I ever played had an airy sound when I played (like your Bach Strads, my Besson, and my bro's old-school Benge).

I'm going to market myself for weddings, so I wanted a soft, warm, rich sound, and this horn definiely fit the bill. Who cares if it's a student model? The horn sounds great, better playability for me than any pro silver model I ever played.

If you sound good playing it, get it. Who cares what "level" horn it is. The audience will never care about the horn. All they care about is what they hear. Unless you're playing lead in jazz, I don't really see a need for a silver horn, as they have more of a piercing sound, and you'd need that to be heard above the rest of the band.

i don't know why every one says it cant preform well in the upper register the reason why it cant is because one its not a pro horn period it wasn't intended for pros to use thats why there are pro horns and two if their was a student that could play in the upper register he or she shouldn't be playing this horn

I'd recommend this horn to players that have less than three years of experience. If they're lead trumpet and have to go into the upper register (id say from a high E in the staff and above) then you'll have problems. It can get aggravating if you want to play the higher notes. Also, the main tuning slide has to be pulled out pretty far, which, for me, make an Eb towards the top of the staff really hard to get it perfect without going to the note above it.

This trumpet is much better than most of the other beginner's trumpets out there. it's definitely a lot better than the other trumpets I have played before (Weril Junior and Bundy.) After about 2-3 years of experience on this horn, the player would need to move to an advanced one because the higher notes on this one become thinner and are harder to play than they would be on intermediate trumpets and professional trumpets (as it should be.) Overall, if you're just beginning to play, this trumpet is a good choice.

Anonymous

Review Date: 6/11/2008

Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 4

Pros:

Durable

Cons:

Very Poor Upper Range

I began playing Trumpet using a TR300 and it was used for three years. Then I purchased an Olds Ambassador and haven't touched the TR300 since. The TR300 took a large amount of dents, dings, and scratches over those three years, and in the years it was used by it's previous owner, and would still continue playing decent. It had decent tone quality in the lower octaves, but was absolutely horrible when in upper octaves. The trumpet would be good for some trumpet beginners, but those who quickly increase their range will find the TR300 a hamper on improvement.

I started playing on this trumpet, and it was great until I needed to play in the upper register. I'd say above about the Db above the staff is when problems start. I would recommend this instrument for beginners and with less than 4 years of experience.

i bouught this horn from a pawn shop/music store all i can think about this horn that thetuning slide and the third slide is buttery smooth, i guess too slipery at least its not hard to move, its TOO slipery!!!!

Ive had this horn for three years bought it for price and looks because im a comeback player and didnt want a huge investment at first . I do love this horn it plays well bright and powerfull. I did have upper register but fouund switching from bach 3c mouthpiece to a schilke 14a4a solved that problem for me.

-upper register is wonderful, i don't know why everyone is complaining about it.
-although bach's instruments they use to make horns to degrade over time so all of the horns are different, maybe i just got a good one

it's a great trumpet. i use it to play gigs, for symphonic bands, jazz bands, everything

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